Sweet Realms
of Deception
Excerpt
A few weeks
into her new job, someone had finally asked her to join them at Off the Hook,
the bar down the street. Guess she was lucky, she didn’t expect to get included
so soon. She was acclimating to the job, the minor issues they had her take
care of, and the people were friendly, almost like a family.
Yup, they were a ‘family’ all right.
She’d
arrived, stood at the door, and moved to the side, pretending to get used to
the loss of sunlight. Lizette scoped the place out. There were back stairs to
the right going to a room on the second floor with a window overlooking the
bar–most likely the manager’s office. Emergency exit signs hung above the
swinging doors to the left and behind the bar.
A hot guy was
working behind the bar, blond, blue eyes, and not her type, although, she
wouldn’t mind having some fun with him.
He’d have a
lot of information tucked away inside his head. He may not know how important
those little tidbits could be for her.
He didn’t fit
the scene. The man looked like a surfer dude, with a smile to make all the women’s
panties drop. It struck her as odd that he worked in a rough neighborhood like
this.
Lizette joined the small group at the table.
She turned her work phone to vibrate and placed it face down.
Buck pulled
out a chair next to him. “What would you like? A virgin Zombie, virgin
margarita, virgin mimosa?”
Lizette
chuckled. “Actually, a non-virgin Zombie or Sex on the Beach.” She looked at
the bartender when he approached the table and offered a wicked grin. “Or, Sex
with the Bartender.”
Buck’s mouth
dropped.
The blond
bartender grinned. “Sex with the Bartender coming right up.”
She smiled
wide and tapped Buck’s hand. “It’s a drink.”
Mitzi, the
boss’ secretary and mistress, laughed. “Told you she wasn’t a straight-laced
teetotaler.”
Walter said,
“You look so–”
Lizette
thanked the bartender for bringing her drink. “That’s why they hired me, isn’t
it?”
The three of
them nodded. Mitzi responded, “Absolutely.”
A larger
group from the yard came in and pretty much took over the conversation, talking
shop. The more they drank, the more information and insight Lizette got about
what was happening on the docks.
She had
ordered a second drink when her phone buzzed.
Picking up
the phone, she went out front so she could hear.
“Hey, it’s
Buzzy.”
“What’s up?”
“I’ve been
pulled over. They did a breathalyzer and the cop said I was over the legal
limit but let me call you.”
Really? “Okay, where are you?”
“I might be
1000 feet from the bar. We cannot leave the car here. He said he’d wait for you
before he took me in.”
“Okay. I’ll
be right there.”
She went into
the bar and let them know she had to leave. Lizette paid her tab and hurried
out the door.
She could see
the flashing lights and walked up the hill. When she approached the vehicles,
the police officer introduced himself and gave her his card.
Buzzy handed
her the keys and whispered, “You need to take it to the boss’ house.”
“Okay.”
Fear and
desperation reflected in his eyes and voice. There was a bruise on his cheek;
his lips were swollen and bleeding. “I mean,
now. Don’t let it sit. When you drop it off, Lenny will bring you back
here. And then you can take your regular evening jog along the north shore.”
Lenny,
bodyguard/driver, was a tough one. He was a brute of a man and looked like the
stereotypical, Mafia bodyguard. He wouldn’t blink when he slit your throat.
Her heart
thumped. Would she meet the boss or would someone else be there to take the car
from her?
She called
the ‘number’. The one she was told to use only when absolutely necessary.
Whoever answered
the phone seemed a bit peeved, but handed the call over to the boss. She
recognized his very distinctive voice immediately.
Lizette
explained what happened with Buzzy and she was on the way with the car.
Irritation
reflected in his tone, “I’ll be expecting you. Lenny will bring you to the jail
to bond Buzzy out and then return you to your car.”
In the
rearview mirror, she watched the police car make a U-turn. “I should be there
in about twenty minutes.”
“Don’t stop
anywhere.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lenny was standing
under the carriage port waiting for her. He opened the passenger door with a
snap. She’d expected him to jump in but instead, he lifted the seat and pulled
out a leather bag. He dropped the seat back down and demanded, “Stay here.”
His
silhouette approached a man at a desk. It was the boss. The boss walked to the
window, waved, and handed Lenny a small package.
Lenny
returned and gave her directions to the jail. It was the only thing he said to
her. Within the hour, arrangements were made and the three headed to Off the
Hook.
He parked
next to her car and she jumped out. She stopped near the hood of her car.
“Not so
fast.” He walked to her and handed her the envelope the boss had given him.
“Open it when you get home.”
Lizette
folded it and tucked it in the front pocket of her pencil skirt. “Thank you.”
He nodded.
“Try not to become a worker bee, kiddo.”
She shook her
head and touched his arm. “Definitely not the colony I want to be in. Thanks
again.”
His mouth
dropped. For a split second, she could see his appalled expression. If she
hadn’t been watching his eyes, Lizette would’ve missed it.
“I don’t like
being touched.”
“Sorry.”
Lenny grunted
and walked away.
Lizette
watched him drive off with Buzzy and approached her car. She decided to wait,
and went inside for another drink. Surfer dude was bartending and she sat in
the corner where she could remain unnoticed.
It was a
different crowd; a little rowdier, but then again, they were watching the Twins
play.
The bartender
approached her and placed a napkin on the bar. “Sex with the Bartender?”
She laughed.
“I ordered that to bust their agates. And yes, I’d thoroughly enjoy having the
bartender, but I’d rather have a rum and coke for now.”
Thank you.
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